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Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Wales

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Dinosaur claws its way out of National Museum Cardiff

Date:

2017-06-30

Giant, razor sharp dinosaur claws were spotted on top of National Museum Cardiff in the civic centre this morning (Friday, 30 June 2017). They are thought to be those of the missing dinosaur, which was on the loose around the centre of Cardiff last month but then made a home for itself at the Museum’s Dinosaur Babies exhibition.

A couple of weeks ago, shoppers and passers-by helped to solve the mystery of the broken statue of T. H. Thomas (1839 – 1915) – a founding father of the National Museum of Wales and the first person to discover any evidence of dinosaurs in Wales. It became apparent that the damage to the statue, broken shop windows and coprolite (dinosaur poo) in the centre of town, and footprints and ripped banner outside National Museum Cardiff were all caused by a roaming dinosaur.

Experts at National Museum Cardiff later confirmed that this new dinosaur was a friendly dinosaur protecting its babies. It has similar features to those of Dracoraptor – the Welsh dinosaur which was scientifically described last year. Dracoraptor was one of the earliest of the meat-eating theropod dinosaurs and a small agile hunter, while this dinosaur is a much larger meat-eater.

Now it seems as if the dinosaur is preparing to leave National Museum Cardiff as Dr Caroline Buttler, Head of Palaeontology from the National Museum explains:

“Fossil evidence suggests that some dinosaurs were caring parents who protected their eggs and looked after their young. It seems as if our dinosaur’s babies are ready to fend for themselves and so he is off for a new adventure. Who knows where he will end up next!”

Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, added:

“I’m delighted that we were able to fund this activity to support the Museum’s Dinosaur Babies exhibition. This project is one of 38 projects across Wales which have been funded with £2million through Visit Wales’ Regional Tourism Engagement Fund and Tourism Product Innovation Fund – designed to deliver innovate projects in support of Visit Wales themed years. During Visit Wales’ Year of Legends, it’s more important than ever to connect people to Wales’ rich heritage and culture by creating exciting and immersive events and experiences such as this.”

In Wales for the first time, the Dinosaur Babies hands-on exhibition at National Museum Cardiff gives visitors the opportunity to experience the world of dinosaur family life through their eggs, nests and embryos. There are three real, and unique, dinosaur embryos on display within eggs, as well as replica dinosaur eggs, nests and skeletons from all over the World.

The exhibition, part of Wales’ Year of Legends runs until 5 November 2017 (10am - 4.45pm with last entry at 4pm). Tickets can be purchased at the Museum or via ticketlineUK.com (£7 adults, £5 concessions, £3 children, £17/£13 families). Children 3 years and under can enter for free.

Dinosaur Babies and recent activity is supported by Visit Wales through the Regional Tourism Engagement Fund, players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, Western Power Distribution and SRK.

museum.wales/dinobabies

#DinoBabies

The dinosaur claws were made by Cardiff based international model makers, Specialist Models who are thrilled to have been involved in a project on home turf. The Museum also worked closely with project managers Sarah Cole Productions who led on the City of the Unexpected and award winning PR agency, Working Word.

And once visitors have discovered Dinosaur Babies, they can continue their legendary adventure by getting up-close to their mythical relatives - the Welsh Dragon. To follow the Cadw Dragons' story and to find out how you can see them this summer, visit cadw.gov.wales/livethelegends and share your adventures through #LivetheLegends.